Well done Rodgers – Celtic have certainly struck gold with the signing of this 21-year-old prodigy

Maryan Shved can take Celtic to the next level in the years to come

According to the Daily Mail, Scottish side Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the signing of Ukrainian winger Maryan Shved from Karpaty Lviv.

However, the manager has also admitted that he knows very little about the player, insisting that the 21-year-old might turn out to be a useful asset to the club in the future. (h/t Daily Mail)

A youth product of Ukrainian club Karpaty Lviv, Shved started his professional career with his boyhood club before making a move to La Liga in Sevilla. However, he did not manage to break into the first-team and moved back to Ukraine after making a handful of appearances for the reserves.

Along with Viktor Tyshankov, Viktor Tsygankov and Oleksandr Zinchenko, Shved has established himself as one of the most promising young players of Ukraine’s current generation of footballers.

The 21-year-old has accumulated 16 goals and 6 assists from 47 appearances for Karpaty Lviv across all competitions. A regular for Ukraine at all youth levels, his domestic form has earned him a senior international debut as well.

Primarily a left-footed right-winger by trade, Shved is a technically gifted and tactically versatile youngster who is also capable of playing as a supporting striker in a No.10 role. Blessed with lightning pace and instant acceleration, the Ukrainian is known for his direct style of football, running at the defenders and leaving them for dead with his ability to dribble at pace and change directions in the blink of an eye.

Shved is equally adept at cutting inside from the flanks with his flair and quick feet, where he either uses his creativity to play his teammates in behind the backline with inch-perfect passes or finds space for himself to shoot with his left foot. Furthermore, he also has the awareness and the agility off the ball to make subtle runs into the box.

Now, the question is- what can he bring to Celtic? Rodgers has indicated that he is a player for the future but, as a matter of fact, he can play a more significant role in the squad.

Celtic have the likes of James Forrest and Scott Sinclair as first-choice wide options. Both the players have done exceptionally well for the Hoops so far this season but they do not have too much quality in their wide options on the bench. While Shved is certainly an upgrade on Jonny Hayes, he will be behind West Brom loanee Oliver Burke in the pecking order at Parkhead.

Given that the Ukrainian will take time to acclimatise to the new surroundings, it will be better for Rodgers to involve him in action next season when the likes of Burke and PSG loanee Timothy Weah return to their parent clubs. Shved is an immensely talented player who can take Celtic to greater heights both on the domestic and European fronts.